History Fanfic / HomunculusTheory

%%* DoubleMeaningTitle: The Exchange chapters are titled as such for a reason. There's EquivalentExchange, which rules the ''FMA'' world whose plot the story most prominently focuses on. The two sides of the conflict are exchanging blows on a heightened scale. And in a meta sense, the narration of the chapters is exchanged back and forth between several characters from scene to scene.

%%** Liz Lemon is less of a cynical person, [[JustifiedTrope given she doesn't have to work the idiots from her world]].

%%* StealthMentor: Vegeta seems more like a displeased mentor than a sworn enemy in Act Zero when he turns Raditz back from his fight with Greed and Beifong while chastising him for his weakened Saiyan pride, bad habits in battle, and mercenary service to the GUAE for the sake of petty revenge against Goku. [[spoiler:It's even further hinted when he recalls how Raditz secretly training with Saibaman and becoming strong enough to spar with him led to Raditz being assigned to track his brother, the mission that changed the course of Saiyan history, before showing him Super Saiyan 4. Confirmed when the pattern from Act Zero repeats itself in Exchange, and rather than kill Raditz after stomping him, Vegeta advises him to drop the idea of ingratiating himself to the GUAE, and the epilogue shows this finally starting to somewhat sink in.]]

%%** [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope A few silver linings, though.]] Lin Beifong is luckily able to save stone!Greed from being consumed by Father again, and though they have no way to restore his body at the moment, [[SharingABody Ling Yao has ascended to the Pantheon]]. Vegeta's words to Raditz during and especially after curb-stomping his former underling post-ritual seem to have rented space in the Saiyan guardsman's head. Furthermore, ''Street Fighter''[='=]s classic military/police quartet has made gains in their allegiances; Guile's addition to the Mighty Majors has proven to strengthen their team, [[VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha Charlie Nash]] along with [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars Selena Recital]] were able to recruit suitable members over the conflict's duration to form a coalition as assigned by [[Series/TheWestWing Josiah Bartlet]], Chun-Li now has hope again for the future of the Delta Cops through both Barlet's encouragement and closely working with Beifong, and Cammy is now friends with [[Franchise/XMen Storm]]. Then [[Series/ThirtyRock Liz Lemon]] realizes Bartlet's goal is to connect all four teams into a larger command unit through the World Warriors, directly countering Vandal Savage as an organizational [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]].]]

%%* FireForgedFriends: How Charlie and Selena form Bartlet's team. Rashīdo already had this with Nash going back to ''[[VideoGame/StreetFighterV A Shadow Falls]]'', then they happen upon [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars Ahsoka Tano]] and help her turn back an ambush, and finally [[WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros Brock Samson]] [[spoiler:miraculously gets back up and fights after having been used as a walking crest of blood]], saving Nash's life and working surprisingly well with him.

%%** Liz Lemon is less of a cynical person, [[JustifiedTrope given she doesn't have to work the idiots from her world.]]

%%* TookALevelInCheerfulness: While [[spoiler:Ragna]] is still the gruff, rude, and sarcastic individual we know, Narrator!Jin notes that his brother has been more relaxed since their sister Saya has returned via Noel.

* TheBusCameBack: [[Franchise/BlazBlue Jin Kisaragi]], the main character of the very first Tales of The Alliance story, makes a return after a very long absence.

%%** Noob and Envy's scheme to deceive Ragna the Bloodedge into thinking Jin is in cahoots with High Command particularly invoked Envy as "Jin" preparing to destroy "the obstacle", which Ragna instantly identifies is their sister Noel Vermillion because Jin always calls her out of her name. Narrator!Jin proves the point as well. Noel doesn't appear in the story due to having retired from the military to become a pacifistic nun.

%%** Noob brings up his creation by Quan Chi, whom Narrator!Ed remembers in a past incident where the sorcerer, alongside Shao Kahn, was beaten by [[LightNovel/HighChoolDXD a group of devils]].

** At one point, Jin states that Ed has gotten him out of "babysitting" after the latter assembles the Mighty Majors, a nod to former's long absence and hiatus in the stories.

%%* AesopAmnesia: Zig-zagged hardcore. [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry Vergil]], with [[VideoGame/DmCDevilMayCry Kat]] in tow, accepts [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Albert and Alex Wesker]]'s invitation to help retrieve a power source connected to their Ouroboros research, despite this type of thing having gone badly for him before. However, it's implied part of his motivation was to help Kat get stronger, not just himself, and it's revealed that [[spoiler:he didn't trust the Weskers' intentions anymore than she did and fully intended to destroy this power source rather than use it if it existed. But even that was not enough to spare them, as they were not prepared for Albert and Alex to act the part of PlayingBothSides in order to render them helpless at High Command's mercy. When Kat naturally protests Albert calling Vergil a predictable fool who's learned nothing, Bradley proceeds to viciously {{lampshade|Hanging}}s how Vergil had thought he could outwit a natural schemer even back then on Temen-ni-gru, making this failure no different from ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry 3|DantesAwakening}}'']].

%%** The way Vegeta transforms into a [[spoiler:Super Saiyan 4 involves creating a Power Ball within himself. In the [[Recap/DragonBallSuperUniverseSurvivalArc Universe Survival Saga]] of ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''[[labelnote:*]]for ''Dragon Ball'' characters, the ''Ouroboros Chronicles'' trilogy takes place between the [[Recap/DragonBallSuperFutureTrunksArc Future Trunks]] and Universe Survival arcs[[/labelnote]], Goku will also have a new power unlocked by taking his own move. In order to survive the singularity caused by his Spirit Bomb being pushed back into him by Jiren in the Tournament of Power, Goku's Autonomous Ultra Instinct will trigger for the very first time.

%%* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Aside from ultimately failing to kill their enemies, The Homunculi's EvilPlan is more or less successful. The Great Philosopher's Stone is successfully created through the souls and partial powers drained from seven captive "walking crests of blood" passing through the Homunculi (including an unwilling Greed, who unlike the others doesn't get to keep any of the Stone's power) with the help of an avatar of Nyarlathotep, making Father more powerful than he has ever been. With an assist from [[Franchise/TheLionKing the lion Scar]] keeping Mrs. Brisby, [[WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective Basil, and Dawson]] at bay, Lady Dante gets to keep hold of the Stone of Nicodemus that Gluttony stole from Mrs. Brisby to try and reverse her PossessionBurnout so she can keep Lyra's form undeterred. [[Manga/ElfenLied Lucy]] and [[Franchise/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]] are two of said walking crests of blood, giving them each yet another psychological scar (which they ''[[BrokenBird don't need]]'', to put it mildly). Thanks to the power of the two stones, Sloth the Indolent has been ascended to his own temple, with Dante pulling strings to add her world's Sloth, Juliet Douglas, as his Herald. On top of that, [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Giovanni]] has been broken out of prison, continuing the group's other plan to annex Team Rainbow Rocket into their ranks and turn the Order of the Ouroboros into a full-scale organization per the business model devised by the GUAE. They also OutGambitted Vergil Sparda into fighting them on their terms, leading to not only his capture for experimentation by Alex and Albert Wesker, but also Kat's as well, in another joint plot devised by Bradley and Azula; furthermore, this is hinted to be connected to Vergil's grim state at the start of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5''. And finally, Greed, the rebel son who helped kill Father in their home world, finds himself boiled down to his stone form again after going through several levels of torment.]]

%%* EvilDetectingDog: Spider-Man comments about how Absol hissed at Batman after it's revealed that the one who talked to [[spoiler:Ragna]] was in fact [[spoiler:Envy]].

%%** The Lion King usurper and the Ishvalan monk who each bear the moniker Scar are both involved in the conflict, and are both encountered by a character on their respective side during a period said character narrates. Envy thinks Scar is the former's name at birth and mocks him for it behind his back[[labelnote:*]]it was actually either Taka or Askari depending on the source[[/labelnote]], while Jin usually references the latter by the full "Scarred Man" descriptor that the Amestrians codified and then shortened to just Scar.

%%** PragmaticVillainy: With a few exceptions, High Command does not kill any of the heroes. This is so they won't make more enemies than they already have. King Bradley frees [[Franchise/CrashBandicoot Dr. Nitrus Brio]] so they won't have Crash Bandicoot opposing them as well.

%% WildCard: Vergil betrays High Command in the prologue, but does not work with the heroes.

%%** In non-Act Zero cameos, [[WesternAnimation/Futurama Kif Kroker]] finally shows up next to his follower Pepper Potts and her actual boss/occasional boyfriend Tony Stark in their introductory scene at Stark Tower. Kif even offers to help investigate the disappearance of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Oerba Yun Fang]], which Tony declines, instead having him call Riza Hawkeye to tell her about the discovery of Envy back in ''Rainbow Rivalries''.
%%** Nappa appears via hologram to talk to Raditz while the latter is training in the gravity machine that was built for him by the GUAE. This takes place prior to Nappa's ascension, while he's still a follower of [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Sabrina]].
%%** While reading Vergil's memories, Kat gets a vision of Nero all grown up, though she doesn't seem to recognize him until later, approaching someone who looks like an obvious clone of Dante, implied to be [[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} Jeanne]], who shares the same color scheme and is rumored to be Nero's mom. While Vergil doesn't know the young man is his yet, the notion of them being family has clearly been on his mind.
%%** [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Wario, Waluigi]], [[ComicBook/{{Bone}} Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone]] appear at Stray Dog, the Pantheon equivalent of Greed's former Devil's Nest from his home series, as friends of the Avaricious himself.
%%** [[Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo Edmond Dantes]] tips off Jin about the Scarred Man working at the House of Pantheon/HealthAndDiseases. When Jin goes there, he finds him working alongside [[Franchise/OnePiece Tony Tony Chopper]].
%%** [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Retsu Unohana]]'s reiatsu causes Scar to stop his fight with Jin outside the House of Health and Diseases just in time for Scar to be convinced that Jin is strong enough to fight the Homunculi. She arrives to ward off Lust in her attempt to blindside Scar and Chopper, allowing them to visit a certain doctor.
%%** After being mentioned both directly by [[Franchise/StarWars Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano]] and indirectly by Scar and Chopper, ComicBook/DoctorStrange finally appears, met by both Ahsoka with Charlie Nash's team as well as Scar and Chopper.

%%** Envy's scheme to deceive Ragna the Bloodedge into thinking Jin is in cahoots with High Command particularly invoked Envy as "Jin" preparing to destroy "the obstacle", which Ragna instantly identifies is their sister Noel Vermillion because Jin always calls her out of her name. Narrator!Jin proves the point as well. Noel doesn't appear in the story due to having retired from the military to become a pacifistic nun.

%%* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Aside from ultimately failing to kill their enemies, The Homunculi's EvilPlan is more or less successful. The Great Philosopher's Stone is successfully created through the souls and partial powers drained from seven captive "walking crests of blood" passing through the Homunculi (including an unwilling Greed, who unlike the others doesn't get to keep any of the Stone's power) with the help of an avatar of Nyarlathotep, making Father more powerful than he has ever been. With an assist from [[Franchise/TheLionKing the lion Scar]] keeping Mrs. Brisby, [[Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective Basil, and Dawson]] at bay, Lady Dante gets to keep hold of the Stone of Nicodemus that Gluttony stole from Mrs. Brisby to try and reverse her PossessionBurnout so she can keep Lyra's form undeterred. [[Manga/ElfenLied Lucy]] and [[Franchise/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]] are two of said walking crests of blood, giving them each yet another psychological scar (which they ''[[BrokenBird don't need]]'', to put it mildly). Thanks to the power of the two stones, Sloth the Indolent has been ascended to his own temple, with Dante pulling strings to add her world's Sloth, Juliet Douglas, as his Herald. On top of that, [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Giovanni]] has been broken out of prison, continuing the group's other plan to annex Team Rainbow Rocket into their ranks and turn the Order of the Ouroboros into a full-scale organization per the business model devised by the GUAE. They also OutGambitted Vergil Sparda into fighting them on their terms, leading to not only his capture for experimentation by Alex and Albert Wesker, but also Kat's as well, in another joint plot devised by Bradley and Azula; furthermore, this is hinted to be connected to Vergil's grim state at the start of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5''. And finally, Greed, the rebel son who helped kill Father in their home world, finds himself boiled down to his stone form again after going through several levels of torment.]]

%%* CallBack: A double dose. In order to [[spoiler:transform into a Super Saiyan 4, Vegeta once again creates a Power Ball[[labelnote:*]]the "artificial moon" sphere of condensed Blutz Waves created by mixing one's ki with the planet's atmosphere[[/labelnote]] like he did in the Saiyan Saga to turn into a Great Ape. However, this time he creates the Power Ball within himself, engulfing himself in an expanding light through which his Golden Great Ape form briefly manifests. The image and the roar of a Great Ape was also a part of Goku's iconic transformation where he revealed the Super Saiyan 3 form in the Majin Buu Saga.

%%* StealthMentor: Vegeta seems more like a displeased mentor than a sworn enemy in Act Zero when he turns Raditz back from his fight with Greed and Beifong while chastising him for his weakened Saiyan pride, bad habits in battle, and mercenary service to the GUAE for the sake of petty revenge against Goku. [[spoiler:It's even further hinted when he recalls how Raditz secretly training with Saibaman and becoming strong enough to spar with him in ''VideoGame/DragonBallZDokkanBattle'' led to Raditz being assigned to track his brother, the mission that changed the course of Saiyan history, before showing him Super Saiyan 4. Confirmed when the pattern from Act Zero repeats itself in Exchange, and rather than kill Raditz after stomping him, Vegeta advises him to drop the idea of ingratiating himself to the GUAE, and the epilogue shows this finally starting to somewhat sink in.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: Kat, hands down. In her source game, throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Hunter demon once is the only time she's ever seen actively partaking in combat, and all hints of her ever being any type of ActionGirl come from bits of dialogue and backstory, as well as weapons seen in her concept art. Here she is immediately seen actively using at least one of said weapons to aid Vergil against High Command, [[LampshadeHanging even surprising the Son of Sparda himself]].

%%* CompositeCharacter: While Vegeta and his Dragon Team allies are generally treated by their [[Manga/DragonBall original manga]] and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' canon selves, the introduction of Super Saiyan 4 reveals that he and Goku at least have adapted abilities from the ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' timeline into their Pantheonic repertoire. Even the transformation itself is a nod to a number of different directions; for more on that, though, see CallBack, CallForward, MythologyGag, and ShoutOut.

%%** While Vegeta doesn't use a machine to go Super Saiyan 4, the transformation sequence still takes a cue from ''GT'' besides the form itself. Thanks to the use of an internal Power Ball, his body is engulfed in light which overtakes the entire area before revealing his transformed state -- much like his ''GT'' self witnessed with the fusion of Super 17.

%%* ShoutOut: Vegeta's Super Saiyan 4 transformation sequence in Act V contains numerous shoutouts, including those of the CallBack, CallForward, and MythologyGag varieties. One unique reference, though, travels beyond ''Dragon Ball''. In order to speed through the Golden Great Ape form straight into Super Saiyan 4 before the light encompassing the area fades, Vegeta essentially turns himself into a live Power Ball. Narrator!Ed, the titular ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', notes that this is actually similar to how he turned himself into a one-soul Philosopher's Stone to heal himself from being impaled.

%%* CallBack: In order to [[spoiler:transform into a Super Saiyan 4, Vegeta once again creates a Power Ball[[labelnote:*]]the "artificial moon" sphere of condensed Blutz Waves created by mixing one's ki with the planet's atmosphere[[/labelnote]] like he did in the Saiyan Saga to turn into a Great Ape. However, this time he creates the Power Ball within himself, engulfing himself in an expanding light through which his Golden Great Ape form briefly manifests. The image and the roar of a Great Ape was also a part of Goku's iconic transformation where he revealed the Super Saiyan 3 form in the Majin Buu Saga.

%%** The way Vegeta transforms into a [[spoiler:Super Saiyan 4 involves creating a Power Ball within himself. While similar to how Goku absorbs the Spirit Bomb to become stronger in the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZSuperAndroid13 Android 13]]'' NonSerialMovie, it also bears similarity to how he survives the singularity caused by Goku's Spirit Bomb being pushed back into him by Jiren's power triggers Goku's Autonomous Ultra Instinct for the first time in the [[Recap/DragonBallSuperUniverseSurvivalArc Universe Survival Saga]]]]. For the ''Dragon Ball'' cast, the ''Ouroboros'' trilogy takes place in between the [[[[Recap/DragonBallSuperFutureTrunksArc Future Trunks]] and Universe Survival arcs.

%%* CompositeCharacter: While Vegeta and his Dragon Team allies are generally treated by their [[Manga/DragonBall original manga]] and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' canon selves, the introduction of Super Saiyan 4 reveals that he and Goku at least have adapted abilities from the ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' timeline into their Pantheonic repertoire. Even the transformation itself plays into this trope in a number of different directions.
%%** Vegeta once again creates a Power Ball[[labelnote:*]]the "artificial moon" sphere of condensed Blutz Waves created by mixing one's ki with the planet's atmosphere[[/labelnote]] like he did in the Saiyan Saga of ''Z'' to turn into a Great Ape rather than using a machine like in ''GT''.
%%** His body being engulfed in light which overtakes the entire area before revealing his transformed state mirrors what his ''GT'' self witnessed with the fusion of Super 17.
%%** His use of an energy technique on himself to trigger a transformation also bears similarity to Goku's tactic of absorbing his own Spirit Bomb to strengthen his Super Saiyan powers against Android 13, as well as [[spoiler:how Goku's Ultra Instinct will be subconsciously triggered in ''Super''[='=]s Tournament of Power when Jiren has him dead to rights... again, by his own Spirit Bomb]].
%%** The image and the roar of a Great Ape was also a part of Goku's iconic transformation where he revealed the Super Saiyan 3 form against Majin Buu in ''Z''.
%%** Vegeta turns himself into a live Power Ball, allowing him to speed through the Golden Great Ape form straight into Super Saiyan 4 before the light goes out. Narrator!Ed, the titular ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', notes that this is actually similar to how he turned himself into a one-soul Philosopher's Stone to heal himself from being impaled, meaning this actually extends beyond ''Dragon Ball''.

** Vegeta turns himself into a live Power Ball, allowing him to speed through the Golden Great Ape form straight into Super Saiyan 4 before the light goes out. Narrator!Ed, the titular ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', notes that this is actually similar to how he turned himself into a one-soul Philosopher's Stone to heal himself from being impaled, meaning this actually extends beyond ''Dragon Ball''.

%%** Vegeta turns himself into a live Power Ball, allowing him to speed through the Golden Great Ape form straight into Super Saiyan 4 before the light goes out. Narrator!Ed, the titular ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', notes that this is actually similar to how he turned himself into a one-soul Philosopher's Stone to heal himself from being impaled, meaning this actually extends beyond ''Dragon Ball''.

%%** Vegeta once again creates a Power Ball[[labelnote:*]]the "artificial moon" sphere of condensed Blutz Waves created by mixing one's ki with the planet's atmosphere[[/labelnote]] like he did in the Saiyan Saga to turn into a Great Ape rather than using a machine like in ''GT''.

%%** His use of an energy technique on himself to trigger a transformation also bears similarity to Goku's tactic of absorbing his own Spirit Bomb to strengthen his Super Saiyan powers against Android 13, as well as [[spoiler:how Goku's Ultra Instinct will be subconsciously triggered in the Tournament of Power when Jiren has him dead to rights... again, by his own Spirit Bomb]].
%%** Vegeta turns himself into a live Power Ball, allowing him to speed through the Golden Great Ape form straight into Super Saiyan 4 before the light goes out. Narrator!Ed notes that this is actually similar to how he turned himself into a one-soul Philosopher's Stone to heal himself from being impaled, meaning this actually extends beyond ''Dragon Ball''.

%%* CompositeCharacter: While Vegeta and his Dragon Team allies are generally treated by their [[Manga/DragonBall original manga]] and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' canon selves, the introduction of Super Saiyan 4 reveals that he and Goku at least have adapted abilities from the ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' timeline into their Pantheonic repertoire. Even the method of transformation plays into this, as he once again creates a Power Ball on his own like he did in the Saiyan Saga to turn into a Great Ape rather than using a machine like in ''GT''.

** The way Vegeta transforms into a [[spoiler:Super Saiyan 4 involves creating a Power Ball within himself. While similar to how Goku absorbs the Spirit Bomb to become stronger in the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZSuperAndroid13 Android 13]]'' NonSerialMovie, it also bears similarity to how he survives the singularity caused by Goku's Spirit Bomb being pushed back into him by Jiren's power triggers Goku's Autonomous Ultra Instinct for the first time in the [[Recap/DragonBallSuperUniverseSurvivalArc Universe Survival Saga]]]]. For the ''Dragon Ball'' cast, the ''Ouroboros'' trilogy takes place in between the [[[[Recap/DragonBallSuperFutureTrunksArc Future Trunks]] and Universe Survival arcs.

* CompositeCharacter: While Vegeta and his Dragon Team allies are generally treated by their [[Manga/DragonBall original manga]] and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' canon selves, the introduction of Super Saiyan 4 reveals that he and Goku at least have adapted abilities from the ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' timeline into their Pantheonic repertoire. Even the method of transformation plays into this, as he once again creates a Power Ball on his own like he did in the Saiyan Saga to turn into a Great Ape rather than using a machine like in ''GT''.

%%** The way Vegeta transforms into a [[spoiler:Super Saiyan 4 involves creating a Power Ball within himself. While similar to how Goku absorbs the Spirit Bomb to become stronger in the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZSuperAndroid13 Android 13]]'' NonSerialMovie, it also bears similarity to how he survives the singularity caused by Goku's Spirit Bomb being pushed back into him by Jiren's power triggers Goku's Autonomous Ultra Instinct for the first time in the [[Recap/DragonBallSuperUniverseSurvivalSaga Universe Survival Saga]]]]. For the ''Dragon Ball'' cast, the ''Ouroboros'' trilogy takes place in between the [[[[Recap/DragonBallSuperFutureTrunksSaga Future Trunks]] and Universe Survival arcs.

%%* CompositeCharacter: While Vegeta and his Dragon Team allies are generally treated by their [[Manga/DragonBall original manga]] and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' canon selves, the introduction of Super Saiyan 4 reveals that he and Goku at least have adapted abilities from the ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' timeline into their Pantheonic repertoire. Even the method of transformation plays into this, as he once again creates a Power Ball on his own like he did in the Saiyan Saga to turn into a Great Ape rather than using a machine like in ''GT''.

%%* StealthMentor: Vegeta seems more like a displeased mentor than a sworn enemy in Act Zero when he turns Raditz back from his fight with Greed and Beifong while chastising him for his weakened Saiyan pride, bad habits in battle, and mercenary service to the GUAE for the sake of petty revenge against Goku. [[spoiler:It's even further hinted when he recalls how Raditz secretly training with Saibaman and becoming strong enough to spar with him in ''VideoGame/DragonBallZDokkanBattle'' led to Raditz being assigned to track his brother, the mission that changed the course of Saiyan history, before showing him Super Saiyan 4. Confirmed when this repeats itself in the final battle, and finally starts to sink in somewhat.]]

%%* CallForward: Kat [[spoiler:suggests to Vergil that he get his brother Dante and Nero to help him when he decides to go after High Command for their attempt to deceive him with the Weskers. He turns the idea down out of sheer demonic pride. However, this ends up being [[{{Irony}} exactly what V does]] in ''Devil May Cry 5'' when he sees that the fission between his human and demon sides created the monster he calls Urizen.]]

%%* StealthMentor: Vegeta seems more like a displeased mentor than a sworn enemy in Act Zero when he turns Raditz back from his fight with Greed and Beifong while chastising him for his weakened Saiyan pride, bad habits in battle, and mercenary service to the GUAE for the sake of petty revenge against Goku. [[spoiler:Confirmed when this repeats itself in the final battle, and finally starts to sink in somewhat.]]

%%** During one of the Weskers' conversations, Alex lightly mocks an idea Albert once had to implant a trigger device onto someone's metal for an ambush, stating that both the metal and said device broke in a fight not too long afterward; Albert admits he considered trying again but thought better of it. This is a reference to an AbortedArc from Year 1 involving Edward Elric.

%%** When Alex mentions the idea of implanting a trap into someone's metal arm, he mentions [[Franchise/BlazBlue Relius Clover]] as his co-conspirator, and claims that Relius

%%** After beating Raditz following the ritual, the first part of Vegeta's advice to his former underling is to abandon all notions of revenge against him and Kakarot.

%%** [[Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo Edmond Dantes]] tips off Jin about the Scarred Man working at the Houe of Pantheon/HealthAndDiseases. When Jin goes there, he finds him working alongside [[Franchise/OnePiece Tony Tony Chopper]].
%%** [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Retsu Unohana]] arrives to break up Scar's fight with Jin outside the House of Health and Diseases just in time for Scar to be convinced that Jin is strong enough to fight the Homunculi. She also wards off Lust in her attempt to blindside Scar and Chopper, allowing them to visit a certain doctor.

%%* TookALevelInCheerfulness: Narrator!Jin notes that Ragna has been more relaxed since their sister Saya has returned via Noel.

%%* YouHaveFailedMe: After Juri and Bryan failed to kill Asami and her friends, the former returns to Lust and complains about how the mission went, including the detail that the Mannequin Soldiers went after Bryan as well because she forgot to tell Lust about him. This gets her stabbed in the knees by the Ultimate Lance as Lust coldly reveals that Juri was a perfect fit as a Living Crest of Blood but had failed in her chance to be useful in another role.]]

%%** After being mentioned both directly by [[Franchise/StarWars Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano]] and indirectly by Scar and Chopper, Literature/DoctorStrange finally appears, met by both Ahsoka with Charlie Nash's team as well as Scar and Chopper.

%%* EvilDetectingDog: Spiderman comments that Absol hissed at Batman after it's revealed that the one who talked to [[spoiler:Ragna]] was in fact [[spoiler:Envy]].